The Chicago Bears are likely to draft multiple defensive linemen in the 2023 NFL draft. Should they have eyes on Baylor defensive lineman Siaki Ika, and what is his NFL comparison?
Chicago Bears NFL Draft Profile: Baylor DL, Siaki Ika
Siaki Ika was playing a bit as a freshman at LSU when Joe Burrow and his crew won the National Championship. When Dave Aranda went to Baylor, he took a year at LSU but eventually followed his defensive coordinator to his new team.
Ika made an impact as a nose tackle during his final two years at Baylor. Overall, he played 1,241 snaps moving from the 0-technique out to the 3-technique role.
Siaki Ika was invited to the Senior Bowl, but opted out, he did participate in the NFL combine.
His athletic profile is not impressive, but he gets credit for going through the drills so that evaluators can see how someone as big as he moves. His weight is high, and at times will have to be watched. Beyond that, his arm length is not as great as you would like.
How Siaki Ika translates to the NFL
It is obvious that Siaki Ika will be a nose tackle in the NFL. For a nose tackle, he actually looks nimble on his feet on video. He has a few moves and can with hand fighting. He even tested out a spin move here and there. Still, his best role is when he plants his feet and plugs holes.
NT Siaki Ika, Baylor
— Erik Turner (@ErikJTurner) April 2, 2023
Traditional Two-Gapping NT
Makes it nearly impossible to run into the A gaps
Occupying OL comes easy
Strong lateral strength to withstand feed blocks
Strong upfield burst
Makes reads for LBs easy, picks gap, doesn’t move
Elite rotational power to throw OL… pic.twitter.com/rz9kdNzpJs
His pass rush is limited, and while he showed upside in the Big 12, his athletic ability will not translate. Beyond that, you can see that he wears down as games go on, and his endurance will be questioned. Still, at his best, he is a house of a nose tackle who does his job well and can get push here and there, especially when he gets active with his hands.
NFL Comparison for Siaki Ika
The best NFL comparison for Siaki Ika is Damon "Snacks" Harrison. They have similar athletic and physical profiles, and for as questionable as Ika was athletically, Harrison was a bit worse in some areas.
Still, they are not drafted for their athletic potential. Snacks Harrison had a long NFL career because he did his job as well as anyone. Ika is a big-time nose tackle, and he could have that same type of reputation. The question becomes even if he hits that upside, what is that worth?
Should Chicago Bears draft Siaki Ika?
Siaki Ika is projected to go around 58th overall. The Chicago Bears happen to have three picks between 54 and 64, so they are right in the range to draft Ika. They also had some of the worst run defense in the NFL, so Ika would be a great addition.
There may be questions about his play-in and play-out hustle, but he does get after it in the run game, so we will see if he passes the test for Matt Eberflus.
They did add Andrew Billings, and the question is whether they would be overkill. At the same time, Billings can hold things down for one year, then Ika can take over. They do not have depth on the defensive line as it is. They would like a little more pass rush, but could not turn down a stable run-stopper.